WASHINGTON D.C. -- Maine's beaches are getting some help from the federal government this summer.

The Environmental Protection Agency's New England office yesterday announced a $252,220 grant to help support the Maine Healthy Beaches Program. The seven-year-old program monitors water quality conditions at Maine beaches. Currently, the program keeps an eye on 58 beaches in Maine.

Since 2001, when the program began, Maine has received more than $1.6 million to help improve water quality monitoring along coastal beaches, according to a prepared release by the EPA.

EPA's Clean New England Beaches Initiative has helped states and local beach managers take the next steps of finding and eliminating pollution sources that cause beach closures. And every bit helps.

"This EPA-funded program gives us beach information that we never had before," said Martha Freeman, Director of the Maine State Planning Office in the release. "Now residents and visitors can make informed choices about their beach activities and stay healthy."

One of the benefits of the initiative is an easy to use chart showing which beaches are open, closed or under advisory.